There was a couple university classes where I found that playing Sudoku in class actually helped me learn the material, because I gained more in alertness than I lost in distraction.
When I was in school I couldn’t take notes. I couldn’t write fast enough, and trying to write things down occupied so much of my attention I couldn’t follow what the teacher was saying next. I should have learned shorthand; but instead I doodled. Somehow, keeping my hands busy kept my ears open.
Chewing gum does this for me. It’s the perfect level of low-level background stimulation to focus on important things.
There was a couple university classes where I found that playing Sudoku in class actually helped me learn the material, because I gained more in alertness than I lost in distraction.
When I was in school I couldn’t take notes. I couldn’t write fast enough, and trying to write things down occupied so much of my attention I couldn’t follow what the teacher was saying next. I should have learned shorthand; but instead I doodled. Somehow, keeping my hands busy kept my ears open.